Ensilage harvester having twin roller feed



Feb. 6, 1951 R. B. HITCHCOCK 2,540,264

ENSILAGE HARVESTER HAVING TWIN ROLLER FEED Feb. 6, 1951 R. B. HITCHCOCK ENSILAGE HARVESTER HAVING TWIN ROLLER FEED 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 27, 1,943

Feb. 6, 1951 C R. B. HITCHCOCK 2,540,264

ENSILAGE HARVESTER HAVING TWIN ROLLER FEED ed Deo. 27, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Feb. 6, 1951 R. B. HITCHCOCK 2,540,254

ENS-LAGE HARVESTER HAVING TWIN ROLLER FEED Filed Dec. 27, 1945 4 Sheecs--SheerI 4 '3-7-3 of Figure 2:

Patented Feb. 6, 1951 UNITED STATES "PATENT A omer:

ENSILAGE HARvEsTER HAVING TWIN l ROLLER FEED Rex E. Hitchcock, Evanston, lll., as'signor t'o International Harvester Company, a corporation of New Jersey Application December 27, 1943, Serial No. 515,677

ensilage harvester of this type to carry the cut corn stalks and then feed them d ovviiii/ardly through a rotary cutter. The ensilage harvesters are substantially U-sliaped, and the corn stalks are carried rearwardly toward the base of the U in a substantially vertical position at which time they are caused to move downwardly into a cutter. The common method for lifting the 'stalks between the U-arms is a chain and lug conveyor.

tically positioned endless conveyorwhich is adapt- .d to take the stalks from the chain conveyor and vinove them downwardly into a cutter. In such a construction there was always a considerable space between the ends of the chain conveyors and the vertical apron-type conveyor. This spaceY between the conveyors, which permitted the corn stalks freedom of control by any conveyor, was the cause of congestion within thethroat of the ensilage harvester. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to maintain control of the out corn stalks at all times after the stalk is cut until the time it reaches the wagon elevator completely chopped.

Another important object of thisfinvention is to provide a pair of cooperative fee rolls in substantial alignment with and formiiiga continuation of the regularensilage harv jf't'er conveyor chains. Y

A further important object ofthe present in'- vention is the provision of dual function resiliently mounted ensilage harvester rolls.

Other and further important objects of this invention will become apparent from the disclosures "in the following specification and-accompanying drawings, in which: f

Figure 1 is a side elevationotthe ensilage harvester incorporating the novel' feed rolls of this invention;

The base of the U or top of the ensilage harvester is generally equipped Awith a ver- Figure 5 is a top plan view of' an upper portion of the ensilage harvester as shown in Figure' l; and

Figure 6 is a top plan view of a lower portion of theA harvester.

As shown in the drawings, the reference numeral I0 indicates generally a body of an ensilage harvester having a main supporting frame or structure I I which is mounted on a twowheeled truck I2 at the rear thereof. The for- Ward end of the frame II is equipped With a clevis I3 which is adapted to be hitched to a tractor draw-bar I4. It will be understood that the ensilage harvesterr shown is a pull type, but the invention is as well adapted for a tractor mounted ensilage harvester.

The ensilage harvester may be tilted by means tween the arms I9 and 2D of theV U-shaped body I and is driven by the crank 89 which derives its power from the V` be1t pulley 90 on the power take-oli shaft through the pulley 9|, belt 92', and `drive shaft 93. The stalks are release-d for suhsequent movement by the'- conveyor chains'A 23 and 24., The conveyor chains 23* and 26 are equipped with lugs 275 and 26', respectively, which project inwardly toward each other. A third conveyor l -chain 24' is positioned beneath the chain 2i and has lugs 26". The corn s'talksare more securely -held in erect position with this auxiliaryy chain 4,24. A bottom 21 is provided within the'- body Il) and is inclined at such an angle that it is substantially parallel with the upper surface of the Vharvester body IU; The cut corn stalksY are'c'arriedwithin the ensilage harvester hody substantially perpendicular to the hase 2l by means of the conveyor chains 23' and 24. The lugs 25, 26,

'andf are positioned at regular intervals around the endless conveyor chains 23, 2E, and 24' and Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view through the throat portion of theensilage harvester;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line adequatelymaintain suflicient hold onthe corn stalks so that they are not permitted to escape or travel in any direction but in an erect position toward the throat 2210i the ensilage harvester bodyl- Asshown in Figure 2, the throat portion 2 of the purpose of the machine to feed vertically disposed corn stalks to the throat 22 and thereupon have the stalks pulled downwardly, butt ends iirst, into the path of the secondary cutter having a rotary cutter head 29 which cooperates with a stationary plate 3l] in chopping the downwardly fed corn stalks. Two similar beaters 3| and 32 are positioned near the top of the feed roll chamber 33 and immediately beneath the throat 22. These beaters 3| and 32 are rotated inwardly toward each other as shown by the arrows 34 and 35. The purpose of these beaters is to prevent corn stalks from getting behind the main feed rolls 36 and31. If the stalks would get behind the feed roller 36, it is possible that the rotary cutter 29 would become clogged and the machine would be made inoperative. As it is, however, the beaters 3| and 32 constantly cause the downwardly entering corn stalks to be thrown or. moved toward the throat or juncture 38, between the feed rolls 3B and 31. The roll 36 is provided with longitudinal ribs 3S, whereas the roller 31 has a smooth surface. It is evident, therefore, that the stalks are pulled downwardly by these rolls and caused to enter the path of the rotating blades 40 of the cutter head 29 and thereupon sheared oi in small pieces by the stationary plate 38. The small pieces of ensilage are then dropped to a hopper 4| from whence it is fed to a wagon elevator 42. As stated above, the problem in ensilage harvesters is to obtain a means for continually forcing the corn stalks downwardly into the feed rollers after they leave the lugs 25, 25, and 25 of the conveyor chains 23, 24, and 24', respective- .ly. An endless conveyor apron has been customarily positioned immediately in front of the rear wall 28, but in spite of this the stalks were not firmlyheld and controlled by any means after they left the chain lugs 25, 26, and 2B. In lieuof .this vertically positioned conveyor, a pair of rolls4 43 and 44 is provided which will positively maintain the cut corn stalks in rmly held psition so that congestion is not permitted in the .throat 22 of the machine. As shown in Figure 5, the roll points 45 and 46 are substantially a continuation of the chain conveyors 23, 24, and 24', respectively. The tapered points 45 and 45 of these rolls 43 and 44 are equipped with double spiral iiightings 41 and 48. These flightings 41 and 48 are so positioned upon the rolls 43 and 44 rotating toward each other that the stalks will be taken from the lugs 25, 26, and 25 and augered rearwardly to the point between the rolls .43 and44 where the spiral flighting ends and the longitudinal. ribs or iiutes 49 and 58 begin. At this point the-stalks no longer travel rearwardly but are projected downwardly into the feed roll chamber 33.

Often times a plurality of stalks are projected between these roller points 45 and 46 at one time, Y

andit is, therefore, desirable to have them resilienty mounted as shown in Fgures 3 and 4. f'lhe vrolls 43 and 44 are equipped with forwardly projecting central shafts 5| and 52 which are ,journaled within bearings 53 and 54.A As best .shown inFigures 2 and 3, these bearings 53 and 54 are retained within bail-like straps 5E. The .straps 53 are held aixed to the body l0 of the ensilage harvester by means of plates 51 and 58 7welded to the top and bottom of the brackets 56 and thence welded or otherwse attached to the `ls ide sheets 59 of the side arms I9 and 20 of the lgv-shapedrbodywl. Studs Sil are aiixed vtothe within the outer ends of the bail-like brackets 56 at 6l. Springs 62 surround the studs 68 within the bail member 56 and resiliently and yieldably maintain the points 45 and 46 in their closest relative position at the center of the machine. Guide sheets63 are welded or otherwise fastened to the side sheets 59 andare inclined rearwardly to the point where they overlap the bearings 53 and 54. These guide sheets, therefore, eliminate the possibility of corn stalks being caught within the spring held mechanism of the rollers 43 and 44. These rolls 43 and 44 will therefore accommodate any size or quantity of stalks that may be taken into the machine at any one time and will yield to prevent breakage.

The rolls 43 and 44 are rotated toward each other and secure their drive from the sprocket 64 which is directly connected to the sprocket I8 by means of a chain 65. The rear View in Figure 4 shows that the sprocket 64 keyed or otherwise fastened to the shaft 66 will impart rotation to this shaft 66 which is journaled within bearings 81 and B8. Bevel gears 69 and 10 are also keyed to this transverse shaft 66 and engage the complementary bevel gears 1| and l2, respectively. As shown in Figure 2, the bevel gear 1| is journaled on the short shaft 13 on which is mounted a sprocket 14 substantially beneath the rbevel gear 1|. Both the bevel gear and sprocket 1I and 14 are keyed to each other and are merely journaled on the shaft 13. The interlocking or keying mechanism is best Shown in Figure 3, wherein the sprocket 14 is equipped with a plurality of upwardly extending fingers 15 which engage notches or recesses 16 in the bevel gear 1|. A similar shaft 13 and sprocket 14' are associated with the bevel gear 12.

lThe rolls 43 and 44 have their shafts 5| and 52, projecting rearwardly beyond the rear wall 28 of the ensilage harvester body. The central shafts 5i and 52 do not rotate. Sleeves 11 are adapted to surround thesenon-rotatable shafts 5| land 52 and project within the ends 18 of the rolls 43 and 44. A key or iiat surface is provided at 'l1' to provide rotation of the rolls 43 and 44. A sprocket 'i9 is keyed or otherwise fastened to the sleeve 11 in alinement with the Vsprocket 14 so that a chain- Sil surrounding these sprockets 14 and 19 will carry the drive from the sprocket 64 to the rolls 43 and 44.

The tension in the chains 8|) is maintained by bracket 8| pivotaily depending from the shafts 13 and 13. This bracket 8| is further equipped with iianges 82 and 83 which threadedly support av shaft 84 having oppositely threaded ends. The central portionofthe shaft 84 is attached tothe fshaft 5|, 'whereruron rotation of thread.- ed shaft 84 will cause either up or down shiftingw movement of this roll supporting shaft 5| to achieve proper tensioning of the drive chain 80. v As shown in Figure 4, the end wall 28 of the ensilage harvester body lil is equipped with vtwo arcuate slots 85V and 83 through `which the roll shafts 5l and.52 project. The arcuate. slots 85 and 8B are sufiiciently large to enable the sleeve 11 to move therein. A spring 81 is adapted to connect the brackets 85;. Itis quite obvious now that in addition to havingvthe forward endsl or points'oi the rolls resiliently yieldable, the rear ends, of the rolls 43 and 44'are also yieldable outwardly through the arcuate range defined by theslots 35 and 86, which are arcs drawn about the? centers 13 and 13. The spring 8l' normally fleanesjlandjand 'en -Sii..dablr laurearsi fa "Oils #har-il excessive ammi ef viaggiate tween the rolls 43 and 44 will cause the rolls to separate, and the roll shafts 5l and 52 will hinge about the shafts 13 and 73', which support the sprockets 14 and 14. It is obvious that the movement of the shafts 5| and 52 through the arcuate slots 85 and 86 will not aiect the drive of the rolls 43 and 44 for the reason that the chains 80 remain in a constant length inasmuch as they swing through an arc about the shafts which support the upper sprockets 14 and 14. Either roll 43 or 44 may have its rear end moved outwardly separately from the other, or both may be moved outwardly simultaneously depending only on the load of stalks carried between the rolls 43 and 44.

It is believed that herein is provided a novel, simple, and eiiicient means of positively feeding corn stalks, butt ends rst, in the throat of an ensilage harvester downwardly to the cutting mechanism. This means, taking the form of the rolls 43 and 44 which have augering portions as Well as downwardly feeding flutes or ribs, is quite positive in its action and does away with congestion in the throats of ensilage harvester machines. The fact that these rolls form continuation of the regular feeding chains eliminates the possibility of the corn stalks from getting out of control of the machine and thereupon performs its function of rmly gripping the corn stalks after they leave the conveyor chains and forces them down to the chopping mechanism.

The intention is to limit the patent only within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an ensilage harvester having a supporting structure, a primary cutter and a secondary cutter arranged rearwardly thereof and both mounted on said supporting structure, conveying means on said supporting structure for delivering stalks rearwardly from the primary cutter, and including a pair of cooperative rolls journalled longitudinally in said supporting structure in substantial alignment with said rearward conveying means, each of said rolls rotatably driven from the rear thereof, a sprocket on the end of each roll, an individual drive chain for each sprocket, and a spring extending between the ends of said rolls, whereby said rolls are yieldable outwardly away from each other in arcuate paths about the chain ends,

2. In an ensilage harvester. a supporting structure, a primary cutter mounted on said supporting structure for severing standing stalks, upper and lower gathering chains on said supporting structure for moving said stalks rearwardly in erect position, an upright feed throat forming part of said supporting structure to receive said stalks, stalk chopper means at the lower end of said throat and journally mounted to receive said stalks butt ends first, a pair of feed rolls positioned across the throat between the gathering chains and the stalk chopper means, said feed rolls being upwardly and rearwardly inclined with respect to the lower of said gathering chains, and means for driving the rolls, said rolls having stalk moving conformations thereon and lower conically reduced ends positioned closely adjacent the discharge end of the lower of said gathering chains, whereby a positive stalk controlling feed is provided from the primary cutter to the stalk chopper.

REX B. HITCHCOCK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 196,400 Terman Oct. 23, 1877 725,759 McDole et al Apr. 21, 1903 1,159,935 Hance Nov. 9, 1915 1,528,635 Ronning et al Mar. 3, 1925 1,641,436 Jett Sept. 6, 1927 1,683,042 Krogan Sept. 4, 1928 1,699,251 Ronning et al Jan. 15, 1929 2,139,868 Thieman Dec. 13, 1938 2,223,704 Powell Dec. 3, 1940 2,333,901 Swenson Nov. 9, 1943 2,349,328 Aasland May 23, 1944 

